Welsh Water is to creating 50 jobs as part of an investment in new water testing laboratory facilities.

The not for profit utility is creating a new water quality laboratory in the former HSBC building in Tredegar Park, Newport, which will be operational at the end of this year creating 40 jobs.

A smaller laboratory at Bretton, near Broughton, has just become operation, creating 10 jobs. Welsh Water’s total investment in the new facilities is £8.6m.

The company carries out around 300,000 wide-ranging analyses of drinking water samples every year to ensure the highest possible quality for its three million customers. Previously, this work was contracted out, but will now be carried out at the Welsh Water laboratories at Bretton and Newport.

Welsh Water operations director Peter Perry said, “We are creating centres of excellence and new jobs that will offer quality opportunities for skilled scientists and support staff. These new facilities will be our main testing centres in Wales and will be vitally important for the company, to ensure we continue to provide the best possible water quality at the tap and protect public health – which is our highest priority.

“The laboratory at Bretton has just been commissioned. The facility at Tredegar Park will be equipped and made ready for commissioning by the end of the year. We also plan to use part of this building as a ‘disaster recovery unit’ to back up our customer contact centre at St Mellons, Cardiff. The location of the new laboratory, so near to the M4 is perfect and we have had a great response to the job vacancies we have advertised so far."